BoostSuitehttp://www.boostsuite.com
BoostSuite saves small businesses from their web marketing data.Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:47:47 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Why Cats Will Never Be Good At Internet Marketinghttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/30/why-cats-will-never-be-good-at-internet-marketing/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/30/why-cats-will-never-be-good-at-internet-marketing/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 14:47:47 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6973It’s no secret that cats are temperamental and can be self-serving – which is why they would make terrible marketers. Remember that time you left the bathroom door open and the toilet paper was torn to shreds? Is that what you want your cat doing to your blog? Making it a virtual shredded toilet roll? Still not convinced you can’t teach your cat the chore of writing your blog regardless? Don’t worry. Being on the fence about friendly help from ...

]]>It’s no secret that cats are temperamental and can be self-serving – which is why they would make terrible marketers. Remember that time you left the bathroom door open and the toilet paper was torn to shreds? Is that what you want your cat doing to your blog? Making it a virtual shredded toilet roll? Still not convinced you can’t teach your cat the chore of writing your blog regardless? Don’t worry. Being on the fence about friendly help from your feline companion is a hard pill to swallow. Here are a few reasons you might not want to hand over that guest blog just yet:

Cats will just have content about mice, tuna and how they are superior to dogs. All they are selling is self-serving content and no one wants to hear all of that. Obviously, it’s about writing what people want to know, need to know, and saying it in a way they want to read it. Even though you want to believe your cat knows it, they don’t. You have to take the lead on this one.

Cats don’t care about data. Have you ever seen a cat push something off of the table no matter how breakable or full of liquid it was? Some cats just want to watch the world burn, and your blog would fall straight into that category. Don’t be a dumb dumb – use the data to give your blog more substance and creditability instead of doing things to make people angry.

They poke their nose where it doesn’t belong, i.e., rubs their face on stuff. You know it’s not okay to start fights with other bloggers, but your cats don’t care about the rules of the trade. They want to know everyone’s business, and that’s something you just can’t have. You know it has to be about the subject matter, and you can’t make it personal. Cats don’t understand that concept.

The catnaps aren’t just a distraction; they are a hindrance on any productivity. You can’t get things done but writing one sentence, chasing a string, and then sleeping for 3 hours. A cat thinks he can and will continue to think that until the day he is no longer able to play with lasers. Again, it’s about focus, attention, and discipline when you sit down to write that blog. Cat hears ya… cat don’t care.

Look, no one is trying to tell you how to live your life or your cat’s life. These are just come helpful tips on why, maybe, the cat isn’t the best go-to choice for those pieces on data, S.E.O., or content. Make the decision based on human instincts, not feline ones.

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/30/why-cats-will-never-be-good-at-internet-marketing/feed/06 Things You Forgot to Do On Social Media Todayhttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/27/6-things-you-forgot-to-do-on-social-media-today/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/27/6-things-you-forgot-to-do-on-social-media-today/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 18:17:27 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6970Written by Steve Myring of molchester.uk. Steve Myring is owner and CEO of Molchester Digital Marketing Agency.
Social media has been there since the advent of internet but only in raw form. The concept of feeds has revolutionised and accelerated the growth social channels and has since become an integral part of our social habits. Before the social media became so popular, users would type search terms on Google and find information or content that interested them the most. In those ...

Social media has been there since the advent of internet but only in raw form. The concept of feeds has revolutionised and accelerated the growth social channels and has since become an integral part of our social habits. Before the social media became so popular, users would type search terms on Google and find information or content that interested them the most. In those days, it was easier for businesses to make their mark, since they had to compete with ten other top businesses.

The competition has become tougher with the concept social media going viral, since the content created by various brands has to compete with contents created by let’s say, a user’s friend. User-generated content has upped the level of social media competition. Many of us lack the proficiency to adapt to such situations since we overlook the common aspects of social media that can help our businesses to grow in leaps and bounds.

Here we will discuss some common aspects of social media that tend to get overlooked:

1. Grow Your Community

Most brands get likes and follows on a steady pace but don’t do enough to engage them or turn them into potential customer. Social media is a platform that is not owned by you and so it is important for you to convert these likes and followers into connected users on platforms which you own. Running campaigns or incentivising users for registering or subscribing to newsletters can help you achieve this goal.

Most brands believe anything they create will work wonders, but this is far from truth. You have to try and test various forms of content to find which works the best.

2. Create Content that is Based on Business Objectives

You should create content with a clear idea of your business objective. If you want your users to register to your site, create a link post rather than a photo post with an embedded link.

Posting the same content on various social channels is wastage of resources. Sharing your Facebook posts on Twitter, Instagram, etc without modifications will do you no good. Keep in mind humorous one-liners are for Twitter, images are for Instagram and GIFs work best for Tumblr. So create your content likewise.

3. Engage Users

Commenting, sharing and liking are not enough to engage your users. Create something that truly interests your user and make them return for more. Apps, games, etc are some features that will keep your users engaged.

4. Use Social Media as a LAB

Fans and followers on social media are perfect respondents when you want to test variety of content. Share different types on content and see how they react to it. This will also help to increase your brand’s reach and engagement.

5. Real-Time Marketing

The success of your brand depends on – post type, time of posting and community. Always be prepared to create something creative and innovative quickly depending upon the situation. This needs to be part of your strategy and not a one-time attempt.

6. Update Yourself Regularly

The ‘feed algorithm’ is updated regularly depending on the users’ changing demands. It is very important for you to keep yourself updated with such changes. At one time you might see videos working well, sometime later you might find photos doing better.

Lots more can be done with social media for creating engaging stories. Even though social media has been around for 15 years, there’s a lot you can learn.

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/27/6-things-you-forgot-to-do-on-social-media-today/feed/0It’s Not What You Know But Whom You Know: Co-Marketing & The Future Of Contenthttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/19/its-not-what-you-know-but-whom-you-know-co-marketing-the-future-of-content/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/19/its-not-what-you-know-but-whom-you-know-co-marketing-the-future-of-content/#commentsThu, 19 Mar 2015 19:18:29 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6968When you’re competing for an audience who already has their attention spanned maxed out, how do you compete? In steps the Co-Marketing revolution. Traditional marketing has been evolving for a long time. The world of vendors has learned to evolve past magazine ads and billboards. So where does Co-Marketing fit in this revolution? The answer: Everywhere.
Co-Marketing is a partnership between two or more companies where all of the companies market each other’s products as an addition or complement to their ...

]]>When you’re competing for an audience who already has their attention spanned maxed out, how do you compete? In steps the Co-Marketing revolution. Traditional marketing has been evolving for a long time. The world of vendors has learned to evolve past magazine ads and billboards. So where does Co-Marketing fit in this revolution? The answer: Everywhere.

Co-Marketing is a partnership between two or more companies where all of the companies market each other’s products as an addition or complement to their own. The beauty of Co-Marketing is it can exist anywhere and everywhere. For example, a health foods company who specializes in organic fruits and vegetable may partner with a smoothie company and both will market each other’s complementary product. It can span in person demonstrations, content, webinars, and visuals. And that’s just the beginning…

Co-Marketing Is What Co-Branding Wanted To Be

In the simplest of terms, Co-Branding has the traditional chains of two entities representing their interest while holding hands. Co-Marketing is it’s evolved cousin. The real thing it does differently is committing to the relationship. Co-Branding is always clear that while they are hanging out with you, they have no real commitment.

Harnessing the existing traffic of already established websites is at the very core of Co-Marketing. The difference between targeted ads or link building is that the company is aware and endorsing your company voluntarily while you return the favor. Of course, it’s not all just scratching each other’s back because the partnership must yield results.

So, how do you find these interrelated companies ready to partner with your business? Companies like BoostSuite are at the forefront of this information transformation. BoostSuite allows you to match to your potential partners specifically matched to your company. The Co-Marketing that BoostSuite facilitates helps attract new customers your business may not have otherwise reached.

Co-Marketing exists directly outside of the traditional borders in which marketing has previously existed. In the past, the fostering of the relationship has been done across the business table. Co-Marketing allows the creation of a pact while everyone sits on the same side.

Does Co-Marketing Only Come In One Form? Nope!

Just like the whole of Internet marketing, Co-Marketing is a chameleon for your brands marketing needs. There are obviously some forms of Co-Marketing that are easier than others, but all forms bring noticeable results. Whether the size of your company is big, small or somewhere in the middle, you can always use a little help from new-found friends. Like anything else, it’s good to start out small and grow from there. With the right partner, who knows what you could achieve.

Content Makes The World Wide Web Go ‘Round

How many times have you been searching for ideas and come across a blog and that would pair great with your audience and don’t know how to go about getting in touch with that blogger? Well that problem is a thing of the past! Now, with website Co-Marketing platforms like BoostSuite, two brands can collaborate on an article, blog, or other types of content to increase their audience visibility with each unique audience. All unique content today, whether blogging, ebooks or website copy can be useful to different business identities. The trouble usually comes when you find one and you don’t know how to go about getting in touch with them.

Visualize Your Success

We’ve all been guilty of recognizing peoples’ faces all over the room, but for the life of us we couldn’t remember their name? It happens with content too! Sometimes people want a quick, one-two glance of information and then it’s time to move on. It’s not always the case, but when it is, indulge them and create something for the more visual individual. Try to work with someone who has different strengths than you. If you are a software to services company specializing in healthcare, find a design firm that has more experience with design and play off of each others strengths. The age of two heads being better than one is over. It’s all about two organizations coming together to build one great enterprise of information.

The Makeover Of Webinars

How does a Webinar translate into Co-Marketing? We’re so glad you asked! Traditionally, webinars have been singularly focused on reaching a particular audience with few of them being applicable across business. Now, instead of getting live in front of one audience, you’ve got the ear of consumers across multiple ventures. The key is to find a topic that appeals to all the audiences involved. For example, if you are a jewelry outlet pairing with a clothing line you would want to focus on compatibility of the companies. You would do that by highlighting they complement each other, and why utilizing both of their services enhances the customer’s overall buying experience.

One… Two… Three… GO!

Let us know your experiences with Co-Marketing or if you have any questions!

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/19/its-not-what-you-know-but-whom-you-know-co-marketing-the-future-of-content/feed/0When Your Content Isn’t Relevant To Your Customer, Neither Are Youhttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/10/content-isnt-relevant-customer-neither/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/10/content-isnt-relevant-customer-neither/#commentsTue, 10 Mar 2015 08:00:31 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6958At any given point in the day, people are checking their email, social media accounts, and text messages for something important to read. There are a lot of different ways to make your content relevant to an audience, but how do you reach those readers efficiently? By serving your readers relevant content on a personal and customer-centric level, you can grab their attention quickly. First, identify your audience, where they live, and what they want to hear. The rest is ...

]]>At any given point in the day, people are checking their email, social media accounts, and text messages for something important to read. There are a lot of different ways to make your content relevant to an audience, but how do you reach those readers efficiently? By serving your readers relevant content on a personal and customer-centric level, you can grab their attention quickly. First, identify your audience, where they live, and what they want to hear. The rest is about following the steps and implementing the right strategy.

Stop Trying To Define Success By Diversity

Every type of content contains specific information for a targeted audience, regardless of what channel it’s on. Too often in an attempt to create a bigger audience, a blogger will start to create content that matches an audience but not the target demographic. When this happens, it’s often a waste of time and a last ditch effort to fudge numbers to make themselves look more successful than they have been. It’s still true that word of mouth (and word of virtual mouths) is one of the best ways to gain an audience. Don’t focus on the wrong narratives in order to include the whole world in your audience, however. When you write with specificity and purpose, the right people will find your blog. If you keep serving up relevant, curated content, your fans will do your advertising for you – they will spread the word that your content is worth viewing.

Be The Filter

After you’ve decided on your audience, it’s time to decide what to say. Most people are overwhelmed with the amount of information available nowadays. The difference is, when you aren’t relevant, you’re not just ignored, you’re classified as noise. So what can you do?

Decide how you are going to add value. If you need help with quality content there is always use the Co-Marketing Article Exchange from BoostSuite. To keep a closer ear to the ground for what people are talking about, you can always monitor the social conversations that are going on around you and keep data pertaining to what people do and don’t want. If you choose to do this it would be helpful to:

Start classifying the nature of the conversations (personal, sentiment, product, brand, or looking for combination of reasons that drive the reader to your content)

Make sure you are measuring the influencer identification of people or websites that are sharing your content. Get an idea of their total reach, community size, and how they are introducing people to your content

Listen to your existing customers. What are they asking about? What questions do they have? Existing customers are often the best source for topics that are relevant.

You Know Your Audience. What’s Next?

It’s all about the connection with your audience. Having an active social media presence can help your audience look favorably on you and your brand. After you know who your audience is and how they are finding you, it’s time to own the conversation, and the best way to do this is through proactive social media. Not only do you get to reach out to people in a personal manner, you also get to direct them to where you want them to go, and what content you want them to view. This is your opportunity to minimize your content and your presence. If you want to learn more, The Social Media Examiner has an excellent guide here. The article outlines a list of rules and tips to build on. After you understand what you steps need to be taken, it will be easier to construct and implement into any social media strategy.

Run With The Conversation

You should now be ready to conquer relevancy. By being able to identify an audience that works for you, identify how that audience is most likely to find you, and providing relevance and content through social media, you are now an integral part of their digital lives. By sharing personal triumphs and collaborations, you include your audience in the inner circle of trust. Remember, by being your readers’ best friend instead of their best bargain, everybody wins!

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/10/content-isnt-relevant-customer-neither/feed/0Sharing Content in the Article Exchange Just Got Easierhttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/09/sharing-content-article-exchange-just-got-easier/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/09/sharing-content-article-exchange-just-got-easier/#commentsMon, 09 Mar 2015 14:00:05 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6960BoostSuite helps you grow your online audience with co-marketing. Before you can trade blog content with partners in BoostSuite, you have to have some content to share.
Now, if you have a blog, the sharing process is even easier.
The next time you log in to BoostSuite you’ll see a selection of importable content from your blog. Select a piece of content for import and you’re ready to begin making trades.

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/09/sharing-content-article-exchange-just-got-easier/feed/0Any Time, Day Or Night: What Is The Right Time To Release Your Bloghttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/09/time-day-night-right-time-release-blog/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/09/time-day-night-right-time-release-blog/#commentsMon, 09 Mar 2015 08:00:50 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6954How do you know the peak time to release your company’s new blog article? That all depends on who you are and what your target audience is. One of the most easily accessible tools at your disposal to answer this question is your company’s social network presence. It’s interesting to see that although the different social media sites themselves are similar, they each have specific and vastly different peak user hours. According to research reports from TrackMaven including a Twitter report, Instagram report and Facebook ...

]]>How do you know the peak time to release your company’s new blog article? That all depends on who you are and what your target audience is. One of the most easily accessible tools at your disposal to answer this question is your company’s social network presence. It’s interesting to see that although the different social media sites themselves are similar, they each have specific and vastly different peak user hours. According to research reports from TrackMaven including a Twitter report, Instagram report and Facebook report and case studies of LinkedIn and Pinterest by Digitas there are optimal times to post, and you’ll maximize the engagement of your audience by posting at the peak day and time of each of those networks.

Facebook: Studies show the optimal time to post is Thursday from 9am-1pm and again from 2pm-3pm. The largest demographic of Facebook users is ages 25-34. Facebook users also spike between the hours of 12pm-3pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Since company posts must now be sponsored (i.e. paid for) to gain traction with followers, this information is particularly important for those companies looking to get the most bang for their buck.

Twitter: The optimal time to post is Thursdays and Fridays from 12pm-1pm. Recent data has shown that the highest demographic of Twitter users is ages 18-29 by a fairly wide margin, so if this is your audience, you have a small window for peak engagement. There is also data to suggest that Twitter engagement sporadically increases by almost 30% during the hours of 12pm-3pm on weekends. That means making sure you’re testing the waters on Saturday and Sunday since the pay off could be immense. Tweets don’t take days off.

LinkedIn: The optimal time to post is Tuesday from 10am to 11am, and their largest demographic of users is between 30-49. Not surprising information considering it is primarily a site for employment, but it’s important to note that it is an age bracket that doesn’t appear elsewhere on the list — an older demographic that isn’t being catered to elsewhere.

Pinterest: The optimal time to post is Wednesday from 1pm-2pm, and their largest usage demographic is 18-29 which consequently mirrors Twitter. This is something to consider if you’re not looking to retread similar ground. But it could also translate to a “two birds with one stone” situation where you post one both Wednesday and Friday to cover more ground.

Instagram: This site is a bit of an oddity as studies show multiple optimal times to post. Weekdays the times are 7am-9am, 11am-2pm, and 5pm-7pm. Thursday tends to be the best overall day to post but between the hours of 1pm-2pm are optimal, while Sunday has been shown to be the day that will allow you the most interactions (likes and shares).

Although this data is incredibly useful, don’t forget to take human behavior into account. Think about yourself and the times you scroll through your social media. Is it at night while you’re watching television? Is it while you take your break at work? If you find yourself in certain viewing habits, make note of it and use it to your advantage when posting your own blogs. Then, armed with the information compiled here, begin experimenting and find what works for you. It’s a surefire combo for getting your blog in front of your audience at the optimal time and place.

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/09/time-day-night-right-time-release-blog/feed/0Visibility Starts With Your Gravatarhttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/08/visibility-starts-gravatar/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/08/visibility-starts-gravatar/#commentsSun, 08 Mar 2015 16:57:41 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6956When the face of your company is ready to be singularly recognized as a leading provider, it’s time for a Gravatar. A Gravatar is a “globally recognized avatar” that is stored by Gravatar.com. A Gravatar allows you to be recognized automatically by email addresses, blogs, and various web forums that possess the special software to do so. So why is a Gravatar something you should be thinking about doing for yourself?
Creating a Gravatar to represent your social presence is the ...

]]>When the face of your company is ready to be singularly recognized as a leading provider, it’s time for a Gravatar. A Gravatar is a “globally recognized avatar” that is stored by Gravatar.com. A Gravatar allows you to be recognized automatically by email addresses, blogs, and various web forums that possess the special software to do so. So why is a Gravatar something you should be thinking about doing for yourself?

Creating a Gravatar to represent your social presence is the literal embodiment of putting a face to a name. As you or your company gain a following, even if they sometimes forget the name (like happens to us all), they won’t forget your face. According to the BBC Science, visual recognition of an image is much easier than recognition of just a name because, “It is true that humans are experts at recognizing faces. Most of us could name thousands of them, and it is something we tend to do easily and automatically. To a neuroscientist, this is a clue that this is a difficult problem made to seem easy because there is a lot of machinery in the brain dedicated to the task.

And so it transpires. There is a part of the brain dedicated to recognizing faces – called the Fusiform Face Area – positioned in the part of the brain called the Temporal Lobe, which can be found roughly in the area behind your ears. It is because we have a dedicated portion of the brain assigned to facial recognition that we tend to remember the face of someone before his or her name. “

Having a Gravatar doesn’t just help your audience spot you right away, but it’s also an important part your online persona, or that of your business, because it instantly helps people spot you across different forums and websites.

The following steps will help to get you set up with a Gravatar of your own.

1.) First of all visit the Gravatar website to sign up. Make yours at http://gravatar.com. There is a blue “Log in/Sign up” button near the top right of the main page of the website.

2.) After you get to the page, you will need to enter your email address into the box and click on the green “Get Your Gravatar” button. If you don’t use WordPress account, you will have to create a one in order to create a Gravatar. Don’t worry you don’t have to use the WordPress account for blogging purposes unless you want to.

3.) You will receive a confirmation email sent to the email address you entered. In the email you’ll find a link that when clicked on will bring you back to the WordPress website, if you don’t have any images uploaded to WordPress yet, you can click on the blue “Add one by clicking here” link, which will then jump you to the Gravatar site so that you can start uploading your image.

You will be able to click on where you want to upload your image from to begin. You can upload from your computer’s hard drive, another website on the Internet, an image you have previously uploaded, or the webcam associated with your computer.

4.) Once you select a file, click the blue “Next” button to upload it, and then it gives you the option to crop the image using a simple cropping tool. You will also have to rate your image for the content contained in it using a movie-like rating scale – G, PG, R, and X. Please be aware that the use of an image that is X-rated will automatically prevent you from using it on a number of different all-ages websites.

5.) On the last page, you are taken to the “Manage your Gravatar” page where you can change any of your contact information and even the image you just uploaded for your Gravatar. Now when you visit websites that enable the Gravatars, you should now find it appearing as an option when joining or using the website. Have fun using your Gravatar throughout the Internet!

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/08/visibility-starts-gravatar/feed/0Why Using Websites, Blogs and Email Newsletters is Always More Effective than Social Media Siteshttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/03/using-websites-blogs-email-newsletters-always-effective-social-media-sites/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/03/using-websites-blogs-email-newsletters-always-effective-social-media-sites/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:48:29 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6952Where will your company focus its online marketing efforts this year? The common wisdom the past few years was to base your campaigns around social media sites such a Twitter and Facebook. But with Facebook’s recent announcement that it would be phasing out company web page posts’ organic reach, the tables have shifted.
Organic reach? Simply put, before the announcement, a company could create a Facebook page, gain followers, and when the company posted on Facebook its post would appear in ...

]]>Where will your company focus its online marketing efforts this year? The common wisdom the past few years was to base your campaigns around social media sites such a Twitter and Facebook. But with Facebook’s recent announcement that it would be phasing out company web page posts’ organic reach, the tables have shifted.

Organic reach? Simply put, before the announcement, a company could create a Facebook page, gain followers, and when the company posted on Facebook its post would appear in its followers’ timelines. This option no longer exists, and now companies must pay to have their posts seen by followers. If the followers choose to share a post and if it can gain traction it will begin to make its way to new viewers. That’s a lot of “ifs.”

Of course, Facebook isn’t the only place to promote your brand. There are all other manner of social media sites; Pinterest, Instagram, and the aforementioned Twitter. But why put your business’s media reach in the hands of someone else? It’s time to take control of your message, its content, and when and where it shows up. We’re here to show you how.

Your website or blog is the home base of your operation. While you can certainly use social media to direct an audience to you, this is your hub, your HQ, and this is where your message should start. By having all content come directly from your website, you have the power over your brand and your message.

An email newsletter is one of the most cost effective, direct route options to keep you in touch with your audience. You have a specific time you need to get a message out, so why would you put that in someone else’s hands? You choose when your newsletter goes out, and you choose exactly who will be seeing it. Putting in personal touches can foster an immediate and emotional bond between you and your costumers.

Instead of placing your fate in the hands of a social media algorithm, you use your newsletter to direct people to your webpage — not to another site that you simply “rent” space from. It takes time to amass a good mail list, but you’ll be surprised how effective you can be when there’s no middle man to impede your progress.

Your website’s front page should have an easily accessible email subscription sign-up option. You can use social media as a secondary way to bring potential customers to your site, but upon them signing up for your newsletter you now have a quantifiable customer base to access at any time. This will allow you to foster a direct relationship between you and your audience (as opposed to a customer and Facebook).

Today’s advertising market regarding television, magazines and media consumption is a difficult landscape to navigate for businesses. With the internet we have an opportunity to reconnect with our customers, to break down the 3rd party walls, and to form bonds that can’t be diminished by a “middle man.”

There is no denying that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Reddit have a massive reach, and that reach can provide large flows of traffic quickly. But putting them in the forefront of your marketing strategy is a mistake. Why give away the power of your brand to another company? By focusing your marketing on your own company’s website and newsletters you take back that control and remove any type of filter that might exist thanks to 3rd party interference.

Spend some time looking at your company’s website and streamlining its newsletter dispersal. When you completely control your online presence, your own brand, and your own media reach, you begin to build relationships and a network, and you run the show. Take back the power of your online presence and build your own customer base. It’s time to remove the filter and connect with your audience.

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/03/using-websites-blogs-email-newsletters-always-effective-social-media-sites/feed/0Five Trends in Visual Content Styles for 2015http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/02/five-trends-visual-content-styles-2015/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/02/five-trends-visual-content-styles-2015/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 19:40:30 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6949Today’s guest post comes from Stuart Steinberg of www.keywestvideo.com. Key West Video Inc. Is a corporate video production company in Toronto. For over 25 years Key West Video has produced videos for large corporations, small business, and non-profits.
Style is something that comes and goes, and then comes back again. Some styles can be seen as classic, while the majority are simply trends.
Shutterstock created an infographic of what they think to be the top creative trends in 2015, and we have whittled down their list ...

]]>Today’s guest post comes from Stuart Steinberg of www.keywestvideo.com. Key West Video Inc. Is a corporate video production company in Toronto. For over 25 years Key West Video has produced videos for large corporations, small business, and non-profits.

Style is something that comes and goes, and then comes back again. Some styles can be seen as classic, while the majority are simply trends.

Shutterstock created an infographic of what they think to be the top creative trends in 2015, and we have whittled down their list to our top five. With the list of trends below, a few have been around for several years and others are quite new. What we do know for sure is that we love them all right now, and will have to let you know how we feel about them in five years.

Blurred Backgrounds

With DSLR’s as the go to choice for amateur photographers and professional corporate video companies, obtaining that desired look is a breeze. This trend has been around for a little while, and do to it’s ability to draw attention to the subject matter, we anticipate it being a long lasting trend.

Linear Graphics

This trend is one that is popping up not only with flat linear styles of websites, but also with animation. The infographic style of animation lends itself well to this trend. It is a great style for easily explaining virtually any subject matter in a quick and cohesive way.

Unique Perspectives

I think everyone is a little sick of the bland old corporate videos that were once popular. Today corporate production companies are constantly trying to push the limits and re-define what corporate video can be. Filmic techniques such as aerial videography has become more popular and for a good reason it’s awesome!

Long Shadow

This graphic style is not new but it is cool. It’s on the list because it is still a trend in the case that it might not be around forever. You will find it used with logo designs, animation, and graphic depictions.

Double Exposure

This is by far one of my favorites. It has to be used in the right moment though, and to express a certain emotion. It shouldn’t be something that you throw into a video or use as a photo for no specific reason. Figure out where it makes sense and wow your audience.

]]>http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/03/02/five-trends-visual-content-styles-2015/feed/0Five Tips for Building a Successful IT Services Companyhttp://www.boostsuite.com/2015/02/20/five-tips-building-successful-services-company/
http://www.boostsuite.com/2015/02/20/five-tips-building-successful-services-company/#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 16:33:00 +0000http://www.boostsuite.com/?p=6946I think there is nothing harder than building a great technology services business. I know because ten years ago I ran one myself.
Today Scott shares some tips that I think every professional services business owner can learn from. We’ve used the SMART methodology ourselves and find it to be a nice framework for evaluating a business and the quality of its goals and operations. Now, here’s Scott.
Written by Scott Aveda of www.tm-infotech.com. Scott Aveda is Chief Manager of Information Technology at TM Infotech.
Five Tips ...

]]>I think there is nothing harder than building a great technology services business. I know because ten years ago I ran one myself.

Today Scott shares some tips that I think every professional services business owner can learn from. We’ve used the SMART methodology ourselves and find it to be a nice framework for evaluating a business and the quality of its goals and operations. Now, here’s Scott.

Written by Scott Aveda of www.tm-infotech.com. Scott Aveda is Chief Manager of Information Technology at TM Infotech.

Five Tips for Building a Successful IT Services Company

Planning is a fundamental principle that goes back to business basics. The most successful IT services have a clear vision for success and a business plan.

They have an overall strategy. They determine what they need to accomplish through a goal setting exercise that defines their success. This always involves a written plan and setting SMART goals.

SMART goals build accountability into your plan Setting SMART goals squeezes out vague statements like, “We want to grow this year” or “We want more clients.” It forces you to write a plan with concrete, reasonable and measurable long-term and short-term goals.

It means setting SMART goals that are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timed

1. Specific

Successful IT services set very specific goals. For example, “We want to increase our monthly recurring revenue by 20% to 25%.” Or “We want to find five new customers in the financial services market.” It is never something vague and nebulous like “We want to grow this year.” They understand exactly what they want to accomplish. They create sales plans to achieve their specific goals. Their plans are documented and they stick to them.

2. Measurable

Goals need to be measurable. Instead of “We want to make new sales calls,” a top performing IT services business will establish clearer objectives that can be measured. Such as, “Each sales person will attend four networking events each quarter.” Then sales reps will be required to track their attendance at networking events every week. Measurable goals build accountability into a plan. And it is much easier to see if you’ve actually hit your target.

3. Attainable

Goals need to be realistic and attainable. If the goals are out of reach you are setting yourself up for failure. Unrealistic goals hurt team morale and undermine trust in leadership. The goal should force you to stretch – but be within your reach. This can be a subjective measure. The history of your business and an understanding of prevailing market or economic indicators are big considerations. You may want to grow your business by 100% in the next 12 months. At face value some may consider that aggressive. If you achieved 80% growth in the preceding six to twelve months, that figure could easily be very realistic and attainable. Whatever goals you establish, make sure you can justify them.

4. Realistic

Realistic means “do-able”. It means that you can realistically achieve the goals you set with the skills, resources and the time that you have. For example, if you are the primary business development resource, it might be a more realistic goal to schedule 10 calls (dials) per day and roughly an hour of talk time as opposed to 60 calls and 3 hours of talk time. Ultimately you are the only one who can decide how high your goal should be and that it is realistic. D0n’t lie to yourself or expect superhuman performance.

5. Timely

Your goals need to be grounded within a time frame. Your goal may be specific and measurable. You could firmly believe that it is attainable. But if it doesn’t have a time frame there’s no urgency to do it now or this quarter or this year.

When do you want to accomplish your SMART goal(s)? Successful IT services are very specific about their start point and end point. Having a commitment to timeframes and deadlines is critical for building accountability into your plans.